Official NHL 2016-2017 Thread

[jingle.boy]

Pretty crap game again last night. Whatever magic Pekke had in the first three rounds is gone. And what's with the Pens looking so dull for such long stretches??

I'm not even sure I care to watch on Saturday. These 2 games have been pretty lame.

I agree with Keith Jones after the game yesterday though. I really believe this comes back to Pittsburgh 2-2. You have a Preds team that has had the better of play, coming home, and with a goalie that has to step up after his two worst games of the playoffs. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if game 3 is 4-1 or 5-1 Preds.

On the flip side, Pitt has not played their best hockey yet.  So, which will it be?  Will Pekke bounce back and return to form and shut them down, or will Pitt finally get their heads out of their asses?  Plus, hopefully the Preds can make it through a game without an own-goal.

[mikeyd23]

2-0. Two more to go.

At this point, I've stopped caring how this team wins and just want them to win. Throughout this entire playoff run they have found different ways to win, they have had to, this group isn't as good as the group last year.

Pretty crap game again last night. Whatever magic Pekke had in the first three rounds is gone. And what's with the Pens looking so dull for such long stretches??

I'm not even sure I care to watch on Saturday. These 2 games have been pretty lame.

I agree with Keith Jones after the game yesterday though. I really believe this comes back to Pittsburgh 2-2. You have a Preds team that has had the better of play, coming home, and with a goalie that has to step up after his two worst games of the playoffs. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if game 3 is 4-1 or 5-1 Preds.

Eh, couldn't you just as easily say - the Pens played mostly like crap in the first two games, the Preds played pretty well, yet the Pens won both games. The Preds MVP through the first 3 rounds has been horrible, and at some point, the Pens are actually going to start playing better. Based on that, I'm not sure how the Preds can expect to win the series?

Don't get me wrong, I'm 2 wins away from counting the Preds out, it ain't over till it's over, but to my eye, the Preds are playing as well as they can play, the Pens aren't and the result is a 2-0 Pens led. Not sure how you look at that and say "ah the Preds got this, those catfish in Nashville will help this team" or whatever 

Oh and also - not saying this as a Pens fan at all, this went both ways last night - the refs were horrible. I'm saying that as a fan of hockey.

[gmillerdrake]

the refs were horrible. I'm saying that as a fan of hockey.

I know it's beating a dead horse....but this really has to get fixed. Just don't know how they do it? There has to be consistency...a level playing field. All to often a missed call here or a BS call there shifts the momentum of a game and it's brutal.

[mikeyd23]

the refs were horrible. I'm saying that as a fan of hockey.

I know it's beating a dead horse....but this really has to get fixed. Just don't know how they do it? There has to be consistency...a level playing field. All to often a missed call here or a BS call there shifts the momentum of a game and it's brutal.

I'm totally okay beating the crap out of this dead horse if you are... You're right it has to be fixed.

The refs are going to miss stuff, it's a quick game, I get that, behind the play stuff or away from the puck stuff - it'll get missed in the course of the game.

I think they need to focus on actually calling the penalties that are in front of them. Period. That's it. Sounds simple right? I guess it's not, I could point to several specific instances last night where a ref was looking directly at a play/player that committed a clear, obvious penalty and chose not to call it. I'm using the word chose, because it's the only thing I can say, the ref is looking right at the infraction. This went both ways last night, so once again, I'm not coming at this as a Pens fan. The refs seem to honestly ref the score and situation, they chose to call or not call based on the score, how much time is left, who got the last penalty called, etc... The only way I know to stop this is for the league to hold the refs accountable. So after a game, if there were big mistakes made by a ref, the league needs to address the issue with the ref, tell him to fix it (call the game better) or they have to let him go. Simple as that.

That's where it needs to start. I've seen a bunch of people online proposing major changes, changing rules, whatever. Maybe some of those ideas are good, but honestly, I don't trust the league to do any of that until they can start calling the game right as it stands now. That has to be the first step, it probably won't happen but maybe someday the NHL will realize the majority of their market is in the US and if they called the rule book as written, they'd probably attract fans and grow the game because the on ice-product would be better.

I want to bring up star player treatment in the NHL right now (whole different issue), but honestly I'm afraid it'll get dismissed as me being a Crosby fanboy.... so I'll refrain. 

[KevShmev]

Bad calls are magnified in hockey because, unlike football and basketball, scoring is very limited, so a bad call could influence 33% of the scoring in a 2-1 game for example.

[mikeyd23]

Bad calls are magnified in hockey because, unlike football and basketball, scoring is very limited, so a bad call could influence 33% of the scoring in a 2-1 game for example.

Yup, all the more reason to try to fix the issue!

[Nick]

Pretty crap game again last night. Whatever magic Pekke had in the first three rounds is gone. And what's with the Pens looking so dull for such long stretches??

I'm not even sure I care to watch on Saturday. These 2 games have been pretty lame.

I agree with Keith Jones after the game yesterday though. I really believe this comes back to Pittsburgh 2-2. You have a Preds team that has had the better of play, coming home, and with a goalie that has to step up after his two worst games of the playoffs. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if game 3 is 4-1 or 5-1 Preds.

[jingle.boy]

You so smaht!!!

[TAC]

The Nashville fans

[gmillerdrake]

The Nashville fans

Ummmm....not.


I was waiting for you to finish the sentence with "are annoying, self entitled jerks" That would be more accurate than the head banging emoji.

[PB1]

Awesome game. I love watching shittsburgh getting their asses kicked.

[KevShmev]

I find it bizarre that in sports, a fan base is sometimes considered great just because they are loud.  And more often than not, the loudest crowds are manufactured/manipulated (pumped in noise, for example). 

[King Postwhore]

I find it bizarre that in sports, a fan base is sometimes considered great just because they are loud.  And more often than not, the loudest crowds are manufactured/manipulated (pumped in noise, for example).

Indy *Cough*

I was there in 2007 and man the sound was ear piercing.

[TAC]

I was just amazed at how much energy they had.

[Nick]

I was just amazed at how much energy they had.

Exactly. I don't care if it would be the worst ratings in history, I'd love to see a Columbus v. Nashville final.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

The Nashville fans

Ummmm....not.


I was waiting for you to finish the sentence with "are annoying, self entitled jerks" That would be more accurate than the head banging emoji.

I find it bizarre that in sports, a fan base is sometimes considered great just because they are loud.  And more often than not, the loudest crowds are manufactured/manipulated (pumped in noise, for example). 

Crowd was great. Y'all are salty. Could have done without the throwing towels at Penguins players but there are a few assholes in every passionate crowd.

[gmillerdrake]

The Nashville fans

Ummmm....not.


I was waiting for you to finish the sentence with "are annoying, self entitled jerks" That would be more accurate than the head banging emoji.

I find it bizarre that in sports, a fan base is sometimes considered great just because they are loud.  And more often than not, the loudest crowds are manufactured/manipulated (pumped in noise, for example). 

Crowd was great. Y'all are salty. Could have done without the throwing towels at Penguins players but there are a few assholes in every passionate crowd.

it it were only a few I would agree. But the incessant chanting about such and such player or team 'sucks'....the manner in which the crowd lambasts the opposing team/players is far more ignorant Than the typical reciting of the goalies name over and over. The Preds fans take it to a much more ignorant level. There's no hiding that fact.

[jingle.boy]

Replace 'ignorant' with annoying or 'over-the-top', and I'll grant you that.  But, that's the kinda shit that passionate fans do.  J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS is annoying as fuck to non-Jets fans.

If the 'sixth man' can help the opposition get off their game, then they've done their job.

[gmillerdrake]

Replace 'ignorant' with annoying or 'over-the-top', and I'll grant you that.  But, that's the kinda shit that passionate fans do.  J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS is annoying as fuck to non-Jets fans.

If the 'sixth man' can help the opposition get off their game, then they've done their job.

I can do that. The 'ignorant' is probably fueled by the series the Blues had against them. I went from considering Nashville my 'second' team to now detesting them greatly.....this includes every fan in their arena.

[jingle.boy]

Well, at least their market can fill an arena - unlike Anaheim and Ottawa. Man that pissed me off

[Mr. Beale]

Haven't been able to watch the first few games, hope the Preds can continue extending this series!

[DragonAttack]

Traveling from Balto up to various points in Michigan for two weeks.  Leaving on Thursday and staying in Pittsburgh for the night.  Volquez will be pitching for the Marlins vs. Pirates that night.  If the weather's nice, we're going to attend....unless the Pens are up 3-1.  Even though I'm a Wings' fan, it would be something special to be there for a possible clincher.

[mikeyd23]

I guess I'll have to be the one who says it. The crowd in Nashville had nothing to do with them winning the game. That's one of those silly sports intangible things that talking heads on TV like to go on and on about, but really the fact of the matter is that the Preds came out and executed at a higher level than the Pens. Period. That's it. 

Skill, talent, execution, etc... wins games. Crowd energy, heart, passion, etc... doesn't. Those intangible things are just often assigned after the fact of winning.

Anyway, I half expected a game 3 loss after the first two games in Pittsburgh. Tonight will tell me a lot about this series, if the Pens win tonight and get the split in Nashville, I think they win the series. If the Preds win tonight, I think they might win the series. Game 4 is huge.

[jingle.boy]

Jesus, Guentzal is having a helluva time putting the biscuit in the basket.  Helluva sequence on that quasi-breakaway by Sid.  How did they NOT score there!?!?!?

Very nicely paced game so far.

[TAC]

Yeah, I can't believe he didn't score there. With two yellow teams, I keep mixing up who is who.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

  Preds

[TheCountOfNYC]

And just like that it's 2-2. Now hopefully Nashville can steal one in Pittsburgh and go back home with a 3-2 series lead.

[Nick]

Next game is, obviously, huge. I think this game was huge for Rinne. Yeah, he only let in the same number of goals in game 3, and that was a huge bounce back game, but he made some exceptional saves in game 3 that should help calm him down the stretch.

If the Penguins win the next game I certainly will be uneasy, but frankly if the Preds keep playing as they have been, I have every confidence they win this series.

[KevShmev]

And just like that it's 2-2. Now hopefully Nashville can steal one in Pittsburgh and go back home with a 3-2 series lead.

Better still, hopefully the Penguins win the next two games, meaning the Nashville fans have to witness their team losing the series on home ice. 

[mikeyd23]

Next game is, obviously, huge. I think this game was huge for Rinne. Yeah, he only let in the same number of goals in game 3, and that was a huge bounce back game, but he made some exceptional saves in game 3 that should help calm him down the stretch.

If the Penguins win the next game I certainly will be uneasy, but frankly if the Preds keep playing as they have been, I have every confidence they win this series.

Rinne came up huge the last two games for the Preds, but honestly, he still looks really shakey. His positioning is off, he's stabbing at the puck, there were several shots last night he didn't even track. The opportunities are there for the Pens, they just aren't cashing in.

At this point, stating the obvious, this series is a total toss up. I really have no predictions from here.

Better still, hopefully the Penguins win the next two games, meaning the Nashville fans have to witness their team losing the series on home ice. 

Sounds good to me 

[gmillerdrake]

Pitt will be lucky to win one more game. The Preds have outworked them the entire series...the first two games in Pitt could have easily gone to the Preds.

I'm already practicing my fake smile and fake congratulatory sentence I'll have to give to my brother in law when he comes into town on July 4th....because the Preds are going to win the Cup.

[mikeyd23]

 

I think I said this during both the Caps series and the Sens series....The Pens might have hit that fatigue wall. They look exhausted and were making unforced giveaways in the neutral zone last night, all night. Definitely not an excuse, just an observation.

[TAC]

I think I said this during both the Caps series and the Sens series....The Pens might have hit that fatigue wall. They look exhausted and were making unforced giveaways in the neutral zone last night, all night. Definitely not an excuse, just an observation.

I agree with that. I had the same thought, that the Pens looked a little tired.

[mikeyd23]

It's most evident in their transition game, especially their zone exits/entries. I think the forwards need to start coming back deeper to help the Dmen when trying to exit the zone. Our D are clearly tired, and the Preds see it and are pressing hard, usually with two forwards. God, I miss Letang.

[jingle.boy]

CBC showed the stat that the Pens have played 225 games in the last 2 seasons - pre-season + regular + playoffs.  Sid has been in 212 of those; Geno in 170-something.  That doesn't include the World Cup.

Having Bonnino out last night hurt them down the middle.  Cullen logged more ice-time than Geno, while Rowney had 6.5 minutes.

They should be tired as shit.